Tracking of transport transfers

ABSTRACT

An example operation may include one or more of sending, by a transport, a drop off request to a plurality of nodes at a target location, receiving, by the transport, permissions from the plurality of the nodes, responsive to the permissions, acquiring, by the transport, an agreement for the drop off request from at least one node from the plurality of the nodes, and recording the drop off request on a remote storage.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application generally relates to transfer of transports, and moreparticularly, to tracking of transport transfers.

BACKGROUND

Vehicles or transports, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, planes,trains, etc., generally provide transportation needs to occupants and/orgoods in a variety of ways. Functions related to transports may beidentified and utilized by various computing devices, such as asmartphone or a computer, or a tablet.

As a transport (e.g., a fleet vehicle) moves from one boundary toanother, the movement of the transport needs to be tracked by rentalcenters. When one rental center receives a request to move a vehicle toanother location, the rental center needs to contact other rentalcenters (within a certain area) to move the car (for example to alocation in Mexico). If there are too many of cars of this particulartype are already sitting in that rental lot in Mexico, the permissionwill not be granted by that rental center. The originating rental centerwill have to ask for either another type of car or different timeframeor look for another rental center in the area. Only after a number ofphone calls (or emails) an agreement for drop off of the car can beacquired. Only then, the car can be rented to a customer. Also, an exactdrop off time may need to be specified. For example, a target rentalcenter may close at 6:30 and may not receive any drop offs after hours.The originating rental center may have to look for another drop offlocation by making phone calls or sending emails. No automation iscurrently available in this process, especially, when the cars arerented to be moved across the borders, etc. A centralized system forautomated rental approvals, collecting and securely tracking therental-related information from thousands of transports and rentalcenters does not exist.

Accordingly, efficient and secure immutable centralized storage forprocessing transport rental-related information is desired.

SUMMARY

One example embodiment may provide a method that includes one or more ofreceiving, by a node, a request for a transfer of a transport to alocation, passing, by the node, the request to a plurality of nodes,receiving permissions from the plurality of the nodes, responsive to thepermissions, sending a request to at least one node from the pluralityof the nodes based on the location, and recording, by the node, thetransfer of the transport to the at least one node on a remote storage.

Another example embodiment may provide a method that includes one ormore of sending, by a transport, a request for a drop off location to aplurality of transports, responsive to permissions from the plurality ofthe transports, acquiring, by the transport, a drop off confirmationfrom at least one rental center node based on the drop off location andon an arrival time stamp, and recording the drop off confirmation on aremote storage

Yet another example embodiment may provide a method that includes one ormore of sending, by a transport, a drop off request to a plurality ofnodes at a target location, receiving, by the transport, permissionsfrom the plurality of the nodes, responsive to the permissions,acquiring, by the transport, an agreement for the drop off request fromat least one node from the plurality of the nodes, and recording thedrop off request on a remote storage.

Another example embodiment may provide a system that includes aprocessor and memory, wherein the processor is configured to perform oneor more of receive a request for a transfer of a transport to alocation, pass the request to a plurality of nodes, receive permissionsfrom the plurality of the nodes, responsive to the permissions, send arequest to at least one node from the plurality of the nodes based onthe location, and record the transfer of the transport to the at leastone node on a remote storage.

Another example embodiment may provide a system that includes aprocessor and memory, wherein the processor is configured to perform oneor more of send a request for a drop off location to a plurality oftransports, responsive to permissions from the plurality of thetransports, acquire a drop off confirmation from at least one rentalcenter node based on the drop off location and on an arrival time stamp,and record the drop off confirmation on a remote storage.

Yet another example embodiment may provide a system that includes aprocessor and memory, wherein the processor is configured to perform oneor more of send a drop off request to a plurality of nodes at a targetlocation, receive permissions from the plurality of the nodes,responsive to the permissions, acquire an agreement for the drop offrequest from at least one node from the plurality of the nodes, andrecord the drop off request on a remote storage.

A further example embodiment provides a non-transitory computer readablemedium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform one or more of receiving a request for a transferof a transport to a location, passing the request to a plurality ofnodes, receiving permissions from the plurality of the nodes, responsiveto the permissions, sending a request to at least one node from theplurality of the nodes based on the location, and recording the transferof the transport to the at least one node on a remote storage.

A further example embodiment provides a non-transitory computer readablemedium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform one or more of sending a request for a drop offlocation to a plurality of transports, responsive to permissions fromthe plurality of the transports, acquiring a drop off confirmation fromat least one rental center node based on the drop off location and on anarrival time stamp, and recording the drop off confirmation on a remotestorage.

Yet a further example embodiment provides a non-transitory computerreadable medium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor,cause the processor to perform one or more of sending a drop off requestto a plurality of nodes at a target location, receiving permissions fromthe plurality of the nodes, responsive to the permissions, acquiring anagreement for the drop off request from at least one node from theplurality of the nodes, and recording the drop off request on a remotestorage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a network diagram in accordance to the exampleembodiments.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example network diagram, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 1C illustrates another example network diagram including atransport node, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 1D illustrates another example network diagram including atransport node, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 2A illustrates a blockchain architecture configuration, accordingto example embodiments.

FIG. 2B illustrates another blockchain configuration, according toexample embodiments.

FIG. 2C illustrates a blockchain configuration for storing blockchaintransaction data, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 3A illustrates a flow diagram, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 3B illustrates another flow diagram including, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 3C illustrates a further flow diagram including, according toexample embodiments.

FIG. 3D illustrates yet a further flow diagram, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 3E illustrates a further flow diagram, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 3F illustrates yet a further flow diagram, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example blockchain vehicle configuration formanaging blockchain transactions associated with a vehicle, according toexample embodiments.

FIG. 4B illustrates another example blockchain vehicle configuration formanaging blockchain transactions between a service center and a vehicle,according to example embodiments.

FIG. 4C illustrates yet another example blockchain vehicle configurationfor managing blockchain transactions conducted among various vehicles,according to example embodiments

FIG. 5 illustrates example data blocks, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example system that supports one or more of theexample embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be readily understood that the instant components, as generallydescribed and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged anddesigned in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, thefollowing detailed description of the embodiments of at least one of amethod, apparatus, non-transitory computer readable medium and system,as represented in the attached figures, is not intended to limit thescope of the application as claimed but is merely representative ofselected embodiments.

The instant features, structures, or characteristics as describedthroughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases “exampleembodiments”, “some embodiments”, or other similar language, throughoutleast this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentmay be included in at one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases“example embodiments”, “in some embodiments”, “in other embodiments”, orother similar language, throughout this specification do not necessarilyall refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments. In the diagrams, any connection betweenelements can permit one-way and/or two-way communication even if thedepicted connection is a one-way or two-way arrow. In the currentapplication, a transport may include one or more of cars, trucks,motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, boats, recreational vehicles, planes,and any object that may be used to transport people and or goods fromone location to another.

In addition, while the term “message” may have been used in thedescription of embodiments, the application may be applied to many typesof network data, such as, a packet, frame, datagram, etc. The term“message” also includes packet, frame, datagram, and any equivalentsthereof. Furthermore, while certain types of messages and signaling maybe depicted in exemplary embodiments they are not limited to a certaintype of message, and the application is not limited to a certain type ofsignaling.

Example embodiments provide methods, systems, components, non-transitorycomputer readable media, devices, and/or networks, which provide atleast one of: a transport (also referred to as a vehicle herein) a datacollection system, a data monitoring system, a verification system, anauthorization system and a vehicle data distribution system. The vehiclestatus condition data, received in the form of communication updatemessages, such as wireless data network communications and/or wiredcommunication messages, may be received and processed to identifyvehicle/transport status conditions and provide feedback as to thecondition changes of a transport. In one example, a user profile may beapplied to a particular transport/vehicle to authorize a current vehicleevent, service stops at service stations, and to authorize subsequentvehicle rental services.

Within the communication infrastructure, a decentralized database is adistributed storage system, which includes multiple nodes thatcommunicate with each other. A blockchain is an example of adecentralized database, which includes an append-only immutable datastructure (i.e., a distributed ledger) capable of maintaining recordsbetween untrusted parties. The untrusted parties are referred to hereinas peers, nodes or peer nodes. Each peer maintains a copy of thedatabase records and no single peer can modify the database recordswithout a consensus being reached among the distributed peers. Forexample, the peers may execute a consensus protocol to validateblockchain storage entries, group the storage entries into blocks, andbuild a hash chain via the blocks. This process forms the ledger byordering the storage entries, as is necessary, for consistency. In apublic or permissionless blockchain, anyone can participate without aspecific identity. Public blockchains can involve crypto-currencies anduse consensus based on various protocols such as proof of work (PoW). Onthe other hand, a permissioned blockchain database provides a system,which can secure interactions among a group of entities which share acommon goal, but which do not or cannot fully trust one another, such asbusinesses that exchange funds, goods, information, and the like. Theinstant application can function in a permissioned and/or apermissionless blockchain setting.

Smart contracts are trusted distributed applications which leveragetamper-proof properties of the shared or distributed ledger (i.e., whichmay be in the form of a blockchain) database and an underlying agreementbetween member nodes which is referred to as an endorsement orendorsement policy. In general, blockchain entries are “endorsed” beforebeing committed to the blockchain while entries, which are not endorsed,are disregarded. A typical endorsement policy allows smart contractexecutable code to specify endorsers for an entry in the form of a setof peer nodes that are necessary for endorsement. When a client sendsthe entry to the peers specified in the endorsement policy, the entry isexecuted to validate the entry. After validation, the entries enter anordering phase in which a consensus protocol is used to produce anordered sequence of endorsed entries grouped into blocks.

Nodes are the communication entities of the blockchain system. A “node”may perform a logical function in the sense that multiple nodes ofdifferent types can run on the same physical server. Nodes are groupedin trust domains and are associated with logical entities that controlthem in various ways. Nodes may include different types, such as aclient or submitting-client node which submits an entry-invocation to anendorser (e.g., peer), and broadcasts entry-proposals to an orderingservice (e.g., ordering node). Another type of node is a peer node,which can receive client submitted entries, commit the entries andmaintain a state and a copy of the ledger of blockchain entries. Peerscan also have the role of an endorser, although it is not a requirement.An ordering-service-node or orderer is a node running the communicationservice for all nodes, and which implements a delivery guarantee, suchas a broadcast to each of the peer nodes in the system when committingentries and modifying a world state of the blockchain, which is anothername for the initial blockchain entry, which normally includes controland setup information.

A ledger is a sequenced, tamper-resistant record of all statetransitions of a blockchain. State transitions may result from smartcontract executable code invocations (i.e., entries) submitted byparticipating parties (e.g., client nodes, ordering nodes, endorsernodes, peer nodes, etc.). An entry may result in a set of assetkey-value pairs being committed to the ledger as one or more operands,such as creates, updates, deletes, and the like. The ledger includes ablockchain (also referred to as a chain), which is used to store animmutable, sequenced record in blocks. The ledger also includes a statedatabase, which maintains a current state of the blockchain. There istypically one ledger per channel. Each peer node maintains a copy of theledger for each channel of which they are a member.

A chain is an entry log, which is structured as hash-linked blocks, andeach block contains a sequence of N entries where N is equal to orgreater than one. The block header includes a hash of the block'sentries, as well as a hash of the prior block's header. In this way, allentries on the ledger may be sequenced and cryptographically linkedtogether. Accordingly, it is not possible to tamper with the ledger datawithout breaking the hash links. A hash of a most recently addedblockchain block represents every entry on the chain that has comebefore it, making it possible to ensure that all peer nodes are in aconsistent and trusted state. The chain may be stored on a peer nodefile system (i.e., local, attached storage, cloud, etc.), efficientlysupporting the append-only nature of the blockchain workload.

The current state of the immutable ledger represents the latest valuesfor all keys that are included in the chain entry log. Because thecurrent state represents the latest key values known to a channel, it issometimes referred to as a world state. Smart contract executable codeinvocations execute entries against the current state data of theledger. To make these smart contract executable code interactionsefficient, the latest values of the keys may be stored in a statedatabase. The state database may be simply an indexed view into thechain's entry log, it can therefore be regenerated from the chain at anytime. The state database may automatically be recovered (or generated ifneeded) upon peer node startup, and before entries are accepted.

A blockchain is different from a traditional database in that theblockchain is not a central storage but rather a decentralized,immutable, and secure storage, where nodes must share in changes torecords in the storage. Some properties that are inherent in blockchainand which help implement the blockchain include, but are not limited to,an immutable ledger, smart contracts, security, privacy,decentralization, consensus, endorsement, accessibility, and the like.

Example embodiments provide a way for providing a vehicle service to aparticular vehicle and/or requesting user associated with a user profilethat is applied to the vehicle. For example, a user may be the owner ofa vehicle or the operator of a vehicle owned by another party. Thevehicle may require service at certain intervals and the service needsmay require authorization prior to permitting the services to bereceived. Also, service centers may offer services to vehicles in anearby area based on the vehicle's current route plan and a relativelevel of service requirements (e.g., immediate, severe, intermediate,minor, etc.). The vehicle needs may be monitored via one or moresensors, which report sensed data to a central controller computerdevice in the vehicle, which in turn, is forwarded to a managementserver for review and action.

A sensor may be located on one or more of the interior of the transport,the exterior of the transport, on a fixed object apart from thetransport, and on another transport near to the transport. The sensormay also be associated with the transport's speed, the transport'sbraking, the transport's acceleration, fuel levels, service needs, thegear-shifting of the transport, the transport's steering, and the like.The notion of a sensor may also be a device, such as a mobile device.Also, sensor information may be used to identify whether the vehicle isoperating safely and whether the occupant user has engaged in anyunexpected vehicle conditions, such as during the vehicle access period.Vehicle information collected before, during and/or after a vehicle'soperation may be identified and stored in a transaction on ashared/distributed ledger, which may be generated and committed to theimmutable ledger as determined by a permission granting consortium, andthus in a “decentralized” manner, such as via a blockchain membershipgroup. Each interested party (i.e., company, agency, etc.) may want tolimit the exposure of private information, and therefore the blockchainand its immutability can limit the exposure and manage permissions foreach particular user vehicle profile. A smart contract may be used toprovide compensation, quantify a user profile score/rating/review, applyvehicle event permissions, determine when service is needed, identify acollision and/or degradation event, identify a safety concern event,identify parties to the event and provide distribution to registeredentities seeking access to such vehicle event data. Also, the resultsmay be identified, and the necessary information can be shared among theregistered companies and/or individuals based on a “consensus” approachassociated with the blockchain. Such an approach could not beimplemented on a traditional centralized database.

Every autonomous driving system is built on a whole suite of softwareand an array of sensors. Machine learning, lidar projectors, radar, andultrasonic sensors all work together to create a living map of the worldthat a self-driving car can navigate. Most companies in the race to fullautonomy are relying on the same basic technological foundations oflidar+radar+cameras+ultrasonic, with a few notable exceptions.

In another embodiment, GPS, maps and other cameras and sensors are usedin an autonomous vehicles without lidar as lidar is often viewed asbeing expensive and unnecessary. Researchers have determined that stereocameras are a low-cost alternative to the more expensive lidarfunctionality.

The instant application includes, in certain embodiments, authorizing avehicle for service via an automated and quick authentication scheme.For example, driving up to a charging station or fuel pump may beperformed by a vehicle operator, and the authorization to receive chargeor fuel may be performed without any delays provided the authorizationis received by the service station. A vehicle may provide acommunication signal that provides an identification of a vehicle thathas a currently active profile linked to an account that is authorizedto accept a service, which can be later rectified by compensation.Additional measures may be used to provide further authentication, suchas another identifier may be sent from the user's device wirelessly tothe service center to replace or supplement the first authorizationeffort between the transport and the service center with an additionalauthorization effort.

Data shared and received may be stored in a database, which maintainsdata in one single database (e.g., database server) and generally at oneparticular location. This location is often a central computer, forexample, a desktop central processing unit (CPU), a server CPU, or amainframe computer. Information stored on a centralized database istypically accessible from multiple different points. A centralizeddatabase is easy to manage, maintain, and control, especially forpurposes of security because of its single location. Within acentralized database, data redundancy is minimized as a single storingplace of all data also implies that a given set of data only has oneprimary record.

According to the exemplary embodiments, in case when a transport (e.g.,a rental vehicle) is to be transferred from one boundary to another, avehicle and rental centers serve as blockchain peers. The rental centermay receive a request to move the vehicle to a target location. Therental center may acquire consensus from other rental centers (within acertain area) to move the car to Mexico, for example. If there are toomany cars of this particular type already sitting in a lot in Mexico,the consensus may not be reached and the originating rental center willhave to ask for either a drop off permission of another type of car, orfor a different timeframe of the drop off or both. Once the consensus isacquired from a minimal number of peers (e.g., rental centers), the carcan be rented and transferred to a location in Mexico. In one exemplaryembodiment, the originating rental center may ask for (and acquire)consensus from a particular target rental center (i.e., a drop offlocation). Once again, if the lot is full—no consensus will be provided,and another drop off location will have to be found and consensus forthis location will have to be received, etc. Part of the process mayinclude sending a time stamp associated with the car transaction. Theconsensus may be based on a time stamp of an arrival or a departure ofthe vehicle. For example, if a target rental center closes at 6:30 anddoes not accept after hours drop offs, there will be no consensus forthe drop off. Then, the originating rental center may need to findanother target drop off location. Because of the rental centersbelonging to the blockchain, all of the processing may be performedautomatically by the blockchain consensus mechanism, and no emails orphone calls may be required. All of the transactions may be stored onthe blockchain ledger for audits, future payments, etc.

In another exemplary embodiment, a rental car may serve as a lead peeron a blockchain. The car may be already in transit and may send requeststo receive a consensus for the drop off from other cars in transit in acertain area heading to the same drop off location that is chosen by thecar. If too many cars of the same type have already received theconsensus for the drop off location from rental centers, no consensusmay be received and the car may inform a user to select another drop offlocation (or time). For example, the user may receive a notification onthe dashboard screen or on his mobile device. After another selection ismade by the user, the request for consensus may be sent to the targetrental centers (as many times as needed until consensus is reached). Therequest may include location data and a time stamp of the transaction(i.e., drop off time). All of the transactions may be stored on theblockchain ledger for audits, future payments, etc.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, a user may rent a car for a longtime. The user may be not sure of where and at what time he/she can dropoff the car. In this case, there is no sense of making arrangements andgetting consensus from possible locations at this point as the situationmay change in a few days, especially, if the location is abroad (e.g.,Mexico or Canada). Instead, the user's vehicle crosses the border andwhen the user has an idea of where and when he/she wants to drop off thecar, the user initiates automated connection (via the car processor)over a blockchain with the rentals centers based on a geographical area.The user's car may receive a consensus based on the car type and a timestamp of a drop off from rental center peers. Other parameters, such asdrop off fees, gas stations nearby for fill up, etc. may be considered.Once again, the process is automated via a blockchain mechanism and theuser does not need to contact any of the rental centers. The user mayjust enter location or the name of the rental center on a dashboardscreen (or on his mobile device), and the blockchain infrastructuremakes all of the arrangements. All of the transactions may be stored onthe blockchain ledger for audits etc.

FIG. 1A illustrates a network diagram 100 in accordance with theexemplary embodiments. According to one exemplary embodiment, a rentalcenter node 107 may receive a request to move a vehicle (e.g., nodes 102or 105) to another location (e.g., one of the nodes 107). The rentalcenter node 107 may acquire consensus from other rental center nodes 107(within a certain area) to move the car. If there are too many cars ofthis particular type already sitting in a lot of a target rental center,the consensus may not be reached and the originating rental center node107 may have to ask for a drop off permission of either another type ofa car or for a different timeframe of the drop off, or both. Once theconsensus is acquired from a minimal number of peers (e.g., rentalcenters 107), the car (e.g., node 102) can be rented and transferred toa target location. In one exemplary embodiment, the originating rentalcenter may ask for (and acquire) consensus from a particular target(i.e., drop off) rental center (one of the nodes 107). Once again, ifthe lot is full—no consensus will be provided, and another drop offlocation will have to be found and consensus for this location will haveto be received, etc. Part of the process may include sending a timestamp associated with the car transfer. The consensus may be based on atime stamp of an arrival or a departure of the vehicle (e.g., node 102or 105). For example, if a target rental center closes at 6:30 and doesnot accept after hours drop offs, there will be no consensus for thedrop off. Then, the originating rental center node 107 may need to findanother target drop off location. Because of the rental centers (e.g.,nodes 107) belonging to the blockchain, all of the processing may beperformed automatically by the blockchain consensus mechanism and noemails or phone calls may be required. All of the transactions may bestored on the blockchain ledger (not shown) for audits, future payments,etc.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a rental car (e.g., node 102)may be already in transit and may send requests to receive a consensusfor the drop off from other cars in transit (e.g., nodes 105) in acertain area heading to the same drop off location that is chosen by thecar node 102. If too many cars of the same type have already receivedthe consensus for the drop off location from rental centers (e.g., nodes107), no consensus may be received and the car may inform a user toselect another drop off location (or time). After another selection ismade, the request for consensus may be sent to the target rental centernodes 107 (as many times as needed until consensus is reached). Therequest may include location data and a time stamp of the transaction(i.e., drop off time).

According to yet another exemplary embodiment, a user of a rental car(e.g., node 102) may not be sure of where and at what time he can dropoff the car. In this case, there is no sense of making arrangements andgetting consensus from possible locations (e.g., nodes 107) at thispoint as the situation may change in a few days, especially, if thelocation is abroad (e.g., Mexico or Canada). Instead, the vehicle (e.g.,node 102) crosses the border and when the user has an idea of where andwhen he wants to drop off the car, he initiates automated connection(via the car processor 104/104′) over a blockchain with the rentalscenters (e.g., nodes 107) based on a geographical area. The car (e.g.,node 102) may receive a consensus based on the car type and a time stampof a drop off from rental center peers.

FIG. 1B illustrates a network diagram for tracking of transfer-relatedinformation. Referring to FIG. 1B, the network diagram 111 includes arental center node 101 connected to other rental center nodes 107 over ablockchain network 106. The rental center node 101 may represent anautomotive rental center that receives an initial car transfer requestfrom a user. The blockchain network 106 may have ledger 108 for storingdata, such as rental-related data and transactions 110, that record thetransport information, timestamps, and other related data.

While this example describes in detail only one rental center node 101,multiple such nodes may be connected to the blockchain 106. It should beunderstood that the rental center node 101 may include additionalcomponents and that some of the components described herein may beremoved and/or modified without departing from a scope of the rentalcenter node 101 disclosed herein. The rental center node 101 may have acomputing device or a server computer, or the like, and may include aprocessor 104, which may be a semiconductor-based microprocessor, acentral processing unit (CPU), an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or anotherhardware device. Although a single processor 104 is depicted, it shouldbe understood that the rental center node 101 may include multipleprocessors, multiple cores, or the like, without departing from thescope of the transport node 102 system.

The rental center node 101 may also include a non-transitory computerreadable medium 112 that may have stored thereon machine-readableinstructions executable by the processor 104. Examples of themachine-readable instructions are shown as 114-122 and are furtherdiscussed below. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable medium112 may include an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physicalstorage device that contains or stores executable instructions. Forexample, the non-transitory computer readable medium 112 may be a RandomAccess memory (RAM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-OnlyMemory (EEPROM), a hard disk, an optical disc, or other type of storagedevice.

The processor 104 may execute the machine-readable instructions 114 toreceive a request for a transfer of a transport to a location. Each ofthe rental center nodes 107 may serve as peers on a blockchain network106. The request may come from a transport or from a mobile device alsoconnected over the blockchain network 106. As discussed above, theblockchain ledger 108 may store rental data and related transactions110. The blockchain 106 network may be configured to use one or moresmart contracts located on the rental center node(s) (e.g., 101 and 107)that may manage transactions for participating transport nodes. Therental center node 101 may provide the rental request-relatedinformation to the blockchain 106 to be stored on a ledger 108.

The processor 104 may execute the machine-readable instructions 116 topass the request to a plurality of nodes 107. The processor 104 mayexecute the machine-readable instructions 118 to receive permissionsfrom the plurality of the nodes 107. The processor 104 may execute themachine-readable instructions 120 to responsive to the permissions, senda request to at least one node from the plurality of the nodes 107 basedon the location. The processor 104 may execute the machine-readableinstructions 122 to record the transfer of the transport to the at leastone node on a remote storage.

FIG. 1C illustrates a network diagram for recording and tracking rentaldrop off confirmations. Referring to FIG. 1C, the network diagram 121includes a transport node 103 (e.g., a rental vehicle) connected toother transport nodes 105 over a blockchain network 106 that has aledger 108 for storing drop off conformations and transactions 110. Thetransport node 103 may be also connected to a rental center node(s) 107.The transport nodes 103, 105 and the rental center node(s) 107 may serveas peers of a blockchain 106. While this example describes in detailonly one transport node 103, multiple such nodes may be connected to theblockchain 106. It should be understood that the transport node 103 mayinclude additional components and that some of the components describedherein may be removed and/or modified without departing from a scope ofthe transport node 103 disclosed herein. The transport node 103 may havea computing device or a server computer, or the like, and may include aprocessor 104, which may be a semiconductor-based microprocessor, acentral processing unit (CPU), an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or anotherhardware device. Although a single processor 104 is depicted, it shouldbe understood that the transport node 103 may include multipleprocessors, multiple cores, or the like, without departing from thescope of the transport node 103.

The transport node 103 may also include a non-transitory computerreadable medium 112′ that may have stored thereon machine-readableinstructions executable by the processor 104. Examples of themachine-readable instructions are shown as 113-117 and are furtherdiscussed below. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable medium112′ may include an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physicalstorage device that contains or stores executable instructions. Forexample, the non-transitory computer readable medium 112′ may be aRandom Access memory (RAM), an Electrically Erasable ProgrammableRead-Only Memory (EEPROM), a hard disk, an optical disc, or other typeof storage device.

The processor 104 may execute the machine-readable instructions 112′ tosend a request for a drop off location to a plurality of transports 113.The blockchain 106 may be configured to use one or more smart contractsthat manage transactions for multiple participating nodes (e.g., 105 and107). The transport node 103 may provide drop off conformationinformation to the blockchain 106 and this transaction may be stored onthe ledger 108.

The processor 104 may execute the machine-readable instructions 115 toresponsive to permissions from the plurality of the transports 105,acquire a drop off confirmation from at least one rental center node(e.g., 107) based on the drop off location and on an arrival time stamp.The processor 104 may execute the machine-readable instructions 117 torecord the drop off confirmation on a remote storage (e.g., on a ledger108).

FIG. 1D illustrates a network diagram for processing of a drop offrequest. Referring to FIG. 1D, the network diagram 130 includes atransport node 103 (e.g., a rental vehicle) connected to rental centernodes 107 over a blockchain network 106 that has a ledger 108 forstoring drop off-related information and transactions 110. The transportnode 103 and the rental center nodes 107 may serve as blockchain 106peers. While this example describes in detail only one transport node103, multiple such nodes may be connected to the blockchain 106. Itshould be understood that the transport node 103 may include additionalcomponents and that some of the components described herein may beremoved and/or modified without departing from a scope of the transportnode 103 disclosed herein. The transport node 103 may have a computingdevice or a server computer, or the like, and may include a processor104, which may be a semiconductor-based microprocessor, a centralprocessing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or another hardwaredevice. Although a single processor 104 is depicted, it should beunderstood that the transport node 103 may include multiple processors,multiple cores, or the like, without departing from the scope of thetransport node 103.

The transport node 103 may also include a non-transitory computerreadable medium 112″ that may have stored thereon machine-readableinstructions executable by the processor 104. Examples of themachine-readable instructions are shown as 132-138 and are furtherdiscussed below. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable medium112″ may include an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physicalstorage device that contains or stores executable instructions. Forexample, the non-transitory computer readable medium 112″ may be aRandom Access memory (RAM), an Electrically Erasable ProgrammableRead-Only Memory (EEPROM), a hard disk, an optical disc, or other typeof storage device.

The processor 104 may execute the machine-readable instructions 132 tosend a drop off request to a plurality of nodes at a target location.The blockchain 106 may be configured to use one or more smart contractsthat manage transactions for multiple participating nodes (e.g., 103 and107). The transport node 103 may provide drop off-related information tothe blockchain 106 and this transaction may be stored on the ledger 108.

The processor 104 may execute the machine-readable instructions 134 toreceive permissions from the plurality of the nodes (e.g., 107). Theprocessor 104 may execute the machine-readable instructions 136 toresponsive to the permissions, acquire an agreement for the drop offrequest from at least one node from the plurality of the nodes 107. Theprocessor 104 may execute the machine-readable instructions 138 torecord the drop off request on a remote storage (e.g., a ledger 108).

FIG. 2A illustrates a blockchain architecture configuration 200,according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 2A, the blockchainarchitecture 200 may include certain blockchain elements, for example, agroup of blockchain member nodes 202-206 as part of a blockchain group210. In one example embodiment, a permissioned blockchain is notaccessible to all parties but only to those members with permissionedaccess to the blockchain data. The blockchain nodes participate in anumber of activities, such as blockchain entry addition and validationprocess (consensus). One or more of the blockchain nodes may endorseentries based on an endorsement policy and may provide an orderingservice for all blockchain nodes. A blockchain node may initiate ablockchain action (such as an authentication) and seek to write to ablockchain immutable ledger stored in the blockchain, a copy of whichmay also be stored on the underpinning physical infrastructure.

The blockchain transactions 220 are stored in memory of computers as thetransactions are received and approved by the consensus model dictatedby the members' nodes. Approved transactions 226 are stored in currentblocks of the blockchain and committed to the blockchain via a committalprocedure, which includes performing a hash of the data contents of thetransactions in a current block and referencing a previous hash of aprevious block. Within the blockchain, one or more smart contracts 230may exist that define the terms of transaction agreements and actionsincluded in smart contract executable application code 232, such asregistered recipients, vehicle features, requirements, permissions,sensor thresholds, etc. The code may be configured to identify whetherrequesting entities are registered to receive vehicle services, whatservice features they are entitled/required to receive given theirprofile statuses and whether to monitor their actions in subsequentevents. For example, when a service event occurs and a user is riding inthe vehicle, the sensor data monitoring may be triggered, and a certainparameter, such as a vehicle charge level, may be identified as beingabove/below a particular threshold for a particular period of time. Thenthe result may be a change to a current status, which requires an alertto be sent to the managing party (i.e., vehicle owner, vehicle operator,server, etc.) so the service can be identified and stored for reference.The vehicle sensor data collected may be based on types of sensor dataused to collect information about vehicle's status. The sensor data mayalso be the basis for the vehicle event data 234, such as a location(s)to be traveled, an average speed, a top speed, acceleration rates,whether there were any collisions, was the expected route taken, what isthe next destination, whether safety measures are in place, whether thevehicle has enough charge/fuel, etc. All such information may be thebasis of smart contract terms 230, which are then stored in ablockchain. For example, sensor thresholds stored in the smart contractcan be used as the basis for whether a detected service is necessary andwhen and where the service should be performed.

FIG. 2B illustrates a shared ledger configuration, according to exampleembodiments. Referring to FIG. 2B, the blockchain logic example 250includes a blockchain application interface 252 as an API or plug-inapplication that links to the computing device and execution platformfor a particular transaction. The blockchain configuration 250 mayinclude one or more applications which are linked to applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) to access and execute storedprogram/application code (e.g., smart contract executable code, smartcontracts, etc.) which can be created according to a customizedconfiguration sought by participants and can maintain their own state,control their own assets, and receive external information. This can bedeployed as an entry and installed, via appending to the distributedledger, on all blockchain nodes.

The smart contract application code 254 provides a basis for theblockchain transactions by establishing application code which whenexecuted causes the transaction terms and conditions to become active.The smart contract 230, when executed, causes certain approvedtransactions 226 to be generated, which are then forwarded to theblockchain platform 262. The platform includes a security/authorization268, computing devices, which execute the transaction management 266 anda storage portion 264 as a memory that stores transactions and smartcontracts in the blockchain.

The blockchain platform may include various layers of blockchain data,services (e.g., cryptographic trust services, virtual executionenvironment, etc.), and underpinning physical computer infrastructurethat may be used to receive and store new entries and provide access toauditors which are seeking to access data entries. The blockchain mayexpose an interface that provides access to the virtual executionenvironment necessary to process the program code and engage thephysical infrastructure. Cryptographic trust services may be used toverify entries such as asset exchange entries and keep informationprivate.

The blockchain architecture configuration of FIGS. 2A and 2B may processand execute program/application code via one or more interfaces exposed,and services provided, by the blockchain platform. As a non-limitingexample, smart contracts may be created to execute reminders, updates,and/or other notifications subject to the changes, updates, etc. Thesmart contracts can themselves be used to identify rules associated withauthorization and access requirements and usage of the ledger. Forexample, the information may include a new entry, which may be processedby one or more processing entities (e.g., processors, virtual machines,etc.) included in the blockchain layer. The result may include adecision to reject or approve the new entry based on the criteriadefined in the smart contract and/or a consensus of the peers. Thephysical infrastructure may be utilized to retrieve any of the data orinformation described herein.

Within smart contract executable code, a smart contract may be createdvia a high-level application and programming language, and then writtento a block in the blockchain. The smart contract may include executablecode, which is registered, stored, and/or replicated with a blockchain(e.g., distributed network of blockchain peers). An entry is anexecution of the smart contract code, which can be performed in responseto conditions associated with the smart contract being satisfied. Theexecuting of the smart contract may trigger a trusted modification(s) toa state of a digital blockchain ledger. The modification(s) to theblockchain ledger caused by the smart contract execution may beautomatically replicated throughout the distributed network ofblockchain peers through one or more consensus protocols.

The smart contract may write data to the blockchain in the format ofkey-value pairs. Furthermore, the smart contract code can read thevalues stored in a blockchain and use them in application operations.The smart contract code can write the output of various logic operationsinto the blockchain. The code may be used to create a temporary datastructure in a virtual machine or other computing platform. Data writtento the blockchain can be public and/or can be encrypted and maintainedas private. The temporary data that is used/generated by the smartcontract is held in memory by the supplied execution environment, thendeleted once the data needed for the blockchain is identified.

A smart contract executable code may include the code interpretation ofa smart contract, with additional features. As described herein, thesmart contract executable code may be program code deployed on acomputing network, where it is executed and validated by chainvalidators together during a consensus process. The smart contractexecutable code receives a hash and retrieves from the blockchain a hashassociated with the data template created by use of a previously storedfeature extractor. If the hashes of the hash identifier and the hashcreated from the stored identifier template data match, then the smartcontract executable code sends an authorization key to the requestedservice. The smart contract executable code may write to the blockchaindata associated with the cryptographic details.

FIG. 2C illustrates a blockchain configuration for storing blockchaintransaction data, according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG.2C, the example configuration 270 provides for the vehicle 272, the userdevice 274 and a server 276 sharing information with a distributedledger (i.e., blockchain) 278. The server may represent a serviceprovider entity inquiring with a vehicle service provider to share userprofile rating information in the event that a known and establisheduser profile is attempting to rent a vehicle with an established ratedprofile. The server 276 may be receiving and processing data related toa vehicle's service requirements. As the service events occur, such asthe vehicle sensor data indicates a need for fuel/charge, a maintenanceservice, etc., a smart contract may be used to invoke rules, thresholds,sensor information gathering, etc., which may be used to invoke thevehicle service event. The blockchain transaction data 280 is saved foreach transaction, such as the access event, the subsequent updates to avehicle's service status, event updates, etc. The transactions mayinclude the parties, the requirements (e.g., 18 years of age, serviceeligible candidate, valid driver's license, etc.), compensation levels,the distance traveled during the event, the registered recipientspermitted to access the event and host a vehicle service,rights/permissions, sensor data retrieved during the vehicle eventoperation to log details of the next service event and identify avehicle's condition status, and thresholds used to make determinationsabout whether the service event was completed and whether the vehicle'scondition status has changed.

FIG. 3A illustrates a flow diagram 300, according to exampleembodiments. Referring to FIG. 3A, an example method may be executed bythe rental center node 101 (see FIG. 1B). It should be understood thatmethod 300 depicted in FIG. 3A may include additional operations andthat some of the operations described therein may be removed and/ormodified without departing from the scope of the method 300. Thedescription of the method 300 is also made with reference to thefeatures depicted in FIG. 1B for purposes of illustration. Particularly,the processor 104 of the rental center node 102 may execute some or allof the operations included in the method 300.

With reference to FIG. 3A, at block 302, the processor 104 may receive arequest for a transfer of a transport to a location. At block 304, theprocessor 104 may pass the request to a plurality of nodes. At block306, the processor 104 may receive permissions from the plurality of thenodes. At block 308, the processor 104 may responsive to thepermissions, send a request to at least one node from the plurality ofthe nodes based on the location. At block 310, the processor 104 mayrecord the transfer of the transport to the at least one node on aremote storage.

FIG. 3B illustrates a flow diagram 320 of an example method, accordingto example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 3B, the method 320 may alsoinclude one or more of the following steps. At block 322, the processor104 may encrypt the request with a private key of the node. At block324, the processor 104 may collect the permissions from a subset of theplurality of the nodes based on the location. At block 326, theprocessor 104 may receive permissions from a subset of nodes of theplurality of the nodes located within a pre-set distance from thelocation. At block 328, the processor 104 may send a timestampassociated with the request to the plurality of the nodes. Note that thepermissions may constitute a consensus of a blockchain. Then, at block330, the processor 104 may execute a smart contract to record onto aledger of the blockchain at least one data block indicating a completionof the request for the transfer of the transport.

FIG. 3C illustrates a flow diagram 331, according to exampleembodiments. Referring to FIG. 3C, an example method may be executed bythe transport node 103 (see FIG. 1C). It should be understood thatmethod 331 depicted in FIG. 3C may include additional operations andthat some of the operations described therein may be removed and/ormodified without departing from the scope of the method 331. Thedescription of the method 330 is also made with reference to thefeatures depicted in FIG. 1C for purposes of illustration. Particularly,the processor 104 of the service node 103 may execute some or all of theoperations included in the method 331.

With reference to FIG. 3C, at block 333, the processor 104 may send arequest for a drop off location to a plurality of transports. At block335, the processor 104 may, responsive to permissions from the pluralityof the transports, acquire a drop off confirmation from at least onerental center node based on the drop off location and on an arrival timestamp. At block 337, the processor 104 may record the drop offconfirmation on a remote storage.

FIG. 3D illustrates a flow diagram 340 of an example method, accordingto example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 3D, the method 342 may alsoinclude one or more of the following steps. At block 342, the processor104 may encrypt a request by a private key of the transport. At block344, the processor 104 may collect the permissions from a subset of theplurality of the transports based on the drop off location. At block346, the processor 104 may receive the permissions from a subset of thetransports of the plurality of the transports located within a pre-setdistance from the drop off location. At block 348, the processor 104 maygenerate the arrival time stamp based on an estimated arrival time atthe drop off location. Note that the permissions may constitute aconsensus of a blockchain. At block 350, the processor 104 may execute asmart contract to store the drop off confirmation on a ledger of theblockchain.

FIG. 3E illustrates a flow diagram 360, according to exampleembodiments. Referring to FIG. 3E, an example method may be executed bythe transport node 103 (see FIG. 1D). It should be understood thatmethod 360 depicted in FIG. 3E may include additional operations andthat some of the operations described therein may be removed and/ormodified without departing from the scope of the method 360. Thedescription of the method 360 is also made with reference to thefeatures depicted in FIG. 1D for purposes of illustration. Particularly,the processor 104 of the transport node 103 may execute some or all ofthe operations included in the method 360.

With reference to FIG. 3E, at block 362, the processor 104 may recordthe drop off request on a remote storage. At block 364, the processor104 may receive permissions from the plurality of the nodes. At block366, the processor 104 may, responsive to the permissions, acquire anagreement for the drop off request from at least one node from theplurality of the nodes. At block 368, the processor 104 may record thedrop off request on a remote storage.

FIG. 3F illustrates a flow diagram 380 of an example method, accordingto example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 3F, the method 380 may alsoinclude one or more of the following steps. At block 382, the processor104 may collect the permissions from a subset of the plurality of thenodes based on the target location. At block 384, the processor 104 mayreceive the permissions from a subset of the nodes of the plurality ofthe nodes located within a pre-set distance from the target location. Atblock 386, the processor 104 may generate an arrival time stamp based onan estimated arrival time at the target location. At block 388, theprocessor 104 may acquire the agreement for the drop off request fromthe at least one node from the plurality of the nodes based on thearrival time stamp. Note that the agreement constitutes a consensus of ablockchain. At block 390, the processor 104 may execute a smart contractto record the drop off request on a ledger of the blockchain.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example blockchain vehicle configuration 400 formanaging blockchain transactions associated with a vehicle, according toexample embodiments. Referring to FIG. 4A, as a particulartransport/vehicle 425 is engaged in transactions, such as asset transfertransactions (e.g., access key exchanges, vehicle service, dealertransactions, delivery/pickup, transportation services, etc.). Thevehicle 425 may receive assets 410 and/or expel/transfer assets 412according to a transaction(s) defined by smart contracts. Thetransaction module 420 may record information, such as parties, credits,service descriptions, date, time, location, results, notifications,unexpected events, etc. Those transactions in the transaction module 420may be replicated into a blockchain 430, which may be managed by aremote server and/or by a remote blockchain peers, among which thevehicle 425 itself may represent a blockchain member and/or blockchainpeer. In other embodiments, the blockchain 430 resides on the vehicle425. The assets received and/or transferred can be based on location andconsensus as described herein.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example blockchain vehicle configuration 440 formanaging blockchain transactions between a service node (e.g., a gasstation, a service center, a body shop, a rental center, automotivedealer, local service stop, delivery pickup center, etc.) and a vehicle,according to example embodiments. In this example, the vehicle 425 mayhave driven itself to a service node 442, because the vehicle needsservice and/or needs to stop at a particular location. The service node442 may perform a service (e.g., pimp gas) or may register the vehicle425 for a service call at a particular time, with a particular strategy,such as oil change, battery charge or replacement, tire change orreplacement, and any other transport related service. The servicesrendered 444 may be performed based on a smart contract, which isdownloaded from or accessed via the blockchain 430 and identified forpermission to perform such services for a particular rate of exchange.The services may be logged in the transaction log of the transactionmodule 420, the credits 412 are transferred to the service center 442and the blockchain may log transactions to represent all the informationregarding the recent service. In other embodiments, the blockchain 430resides on the vehicle 425 and/or the service center server. In oneexample, a transport event may require a refuel or other vehicle serviceand the occupants may then be responsible for the asset value increasefor such service. The service may be rendered via a blockchainnotification, which is then used to redistribute the asset value to theoccupants via their respective asset values. Responsibility for theservice center activities can be based on asset transfer as describedherein.

FIG. 4C illustrates an example blockchain vehicle configuration 450 formanaging blockchain transactions conducted among various vehicles,according to the exemplary embodiments. The vehicle 425 may engage withanother vehicle 408 to perform various actions such as to share accesskeys, transfer keys, acquire service calls, etc. when the vehicle hasreached a status where the assets need to be shared with anothervehicle. For example, the vehicle 408 may be due for a battery chargeand/or may have an issue with a tire and may be in route to pick up apackage for delivery. The vehicle 408 may notify another vehicle 425which is in its network and which operates on its blockchain memberservice. The vehicle 425 may then receive the information via a wirelesscommunication request to perform the package pickup from the vehicle 408and/or from a server (not shown). The transactions are logged in thetransaction modules 452 and 420 of both vehicles. The assets aretransferred from vehicle 408 to vehicle 425 and the record of the assettransfer is logged in the blockchain 430/454 assuming that theblockchains are different from one another, or, are logged in the sameblockchain used by all members. Responsibility for the transferredassets can be based on asset values (e.g., access keys) as describedherein.

FIG. 5 illustrates blockchain blocks 500 that can be added to adistributed ledger, according to example embodiments, and contents ofblock structures 502A to 502 n. Referring to FIG. 5, clients (not shown)may submit entries to blockchain nodes to enact activity on theblockchain. As an example, clients may be applications that act onbehalf of a requester, such as a device, person or entity to proposeentries for the blockchain. The plurality of blockchain peers (e.g.,blockchain nodes) may maintain a state of the blockchain network and acopy of the distributed ledger. Different types of blockchainnodes/peers may be present in the blockchain network including endorsingpeers, which simulate and endorse entries proposed by clients andcommitting peers which verify endorsements, validate entries, and commitentries to the distributed ledger. In this example, the blockchain nodesmay perform the role of endorser node, committer node, or both.

The instant system includes a blockchain which stores immutable,sequenced records in blocks, and a state database (current world state)maintaining a current state of the blockchain. One distributed ledgermay exist per channel and each peer maintains its own copy of thedistributed ledger for each channel of which they are a member. Theinstant blockchain is an entry log, structured as hash-linked blockswhere each block contains a sequence of N entries. Blocks may includevarious components such as those shown in FIG. 5. The linking of theblocks may be generated by adding a hash of a prior block's headerwithin a block header of a current block. In this way, all entries onthe blockchain are sequenced and cryptographically linked togetherpreventing tampering with blockchain data without breaking the hashlinks. Furthermore, because of the links, the latest block in theblockchain represents every entry that has come before it. The instantblockchain may be stored on a peer file system (local or attachedstorage), which supports an append-only blockchain workload.

The current state of the blockchain and the distributed ledger may bestored in the state database. Here, the current state data representsthe latest values for all keys ever included in the chain entry log ofthe blockchain. Smart contract executable code invocations executeentries against the current state in the state database. To make thesesmart contract executable code interactions extremely efficient, thelatest values of all keys are stored in the state database. The statedatabase may include an indexed view into the entry log of theblockchain, it can therefore be regenerated from the chain at any time.The state database may automatically get recovered (or generated ifneeded) upon peer startup, before entries are accepted.

Endorsing nodes receive entries from clients and endorse the entry basedon simulated results. Endorsing nodes hold smart contracts whichsimulate the entry proposals. When an endorsing node endorses an entry,the endorsing nodes creates an entry endorsement which is a signedresponse from the endorsing node to the client application indicatingthe endorsement of the simulated entry. The method of endorsing an entrydepends on an endorsement policy which may be specified within smartcontract executable code. An example of an endorsement policy is “themajority of endorsing peers must endorse the entry.” Different channelsmay have different endorsement policies. Endorsed entries are forward bythe client application to an ordering service.

The ordering service accepts endorsed entries, orders them into a block,and delivers the blocks to the committing peers. For example, theordering service may initiate a new block when a threshold of entrieshas been reached, a timer times out, or another condition. In thisexample, blockchain node is a committing peer that has received a datablock 602A for storage on the blockchain. The ordering service may bemade up of a cluster of orderers. The ordering service does not processentries, smart contracts, or maintain the shared ledger. Rather, theordering service may accept the endorsed entries and specifies the orderin which those entries are committed to the distributed ledger. Thearchitecture of the blockchain network may be designed such that thespecific implementation of ‘ordering’ (e.g., Solo, Kafka, BFT, etc.)becomes a pluggable component.

Entries are written to the distributed ledger in a consistent order. Theorder of entries is established to ensure that the updates to the statedatabase are valid when they are committed to the network. Unlike acrypto-currency blockchain system (e.g., Bitcoin, etc.) where orderingoccurs through the solving of a cryptographic puzzle, or mining, in thisexample the parties of the distributed ledger may choose the orderingmechanism that best suits that network.

Referring to FIG. 5, a block 502A (also referred to as a data block)that is stored on the blockchain and/or the distributed ledger mayinclude multiple data segments such as a block header 504A to 504 n,transaction specific data 506A to 506 n, and block metadata 508A to 508n. It should be appreciated that the various depicted blocks and theircontents, such as block 502A and its contents are merely for purposes ofan example and are not meant to limit the scope of the exampleembodiments. In some cases, both the block header 504A and the blockmetadata 508A may be smaller than the transaction specific data 506Awhich stores entry data; however, this is not a requirement. The block502A may store transactional information of N entries (e.g., 100, 500,1000, 2000, 3000, etc.) within the block data 510A to 510 n. The block502A may also include a link to a previous block (e.g., on theblockchain) within the block header 504A. In particular, the blockheader 504A may include a hash of a previous block's header. The blockheader 504A may also include a unique block number, a hash of the blockdata 510A of the current block 502A, and the like. The block number ofthe block 502A may be unique and assigned in an incremental/sequentialorder starting from zero. The first block in the blockchain may bereferred to as a genesis block which includes information about theblockchain, its members, the data stored therein, etc.

The block data 510A may store entry information of each entry that isrecorded within the block. For example, the entry data may include oneor more of a type of the entry, a version, a timestamp, a channel ID ofthe distributed ledger, an entry ID, an epoch, a payload visibility, asmart contract executable code path (deploy tx), a smart contractexecutable code name, a smart contract executable code version, input(smart contract executable code and functions), a client (creator)identify such as a public key and certificate, a signature of theclient, identities of endorsers, endorser signatures, a proposal hash,smart contract executable code events, response status, namespace, aread set (list of key and version read by the entry, etc.), a write set(list of key and value, etc.), a start key, an end key, a list of keys,a Merkel tree query summary, and the like. The entry data may be storedfor each of the N entries.

In some embodiments, the block data 510A may also store transactionspecific data 506A which adds additional information to the hash-linkedchain of blocks in the blockchain. Accordingly, the data 506A can bestored in an immutable log of blocks on the distributed ledger. Some ofthe benefits of storing such data 506A are reflected in the variousembodiments disclosed and depicted herein. The block metadata 508A maystore multiple fields of metadata (e.g., as a byte array, etc.).Metadata fields may include signature on block creation, a reference toa last configuration block, an entry filter identifying valid andinvalid entries within the block, last offset persisted of an orderingservice that ordered the block, and the like. The signature, the lastconfiguration block, and the orderer metadata may be added by theordering service. Meanwhile, a committer of the block (such as ablockchain node) may add validity/invalidity information based on anendorsement policy, verification of read/write sets, and the like. Theentry filter may include a byte array of a size equal to the number ofentries in the block data 510A and a validation code identifying whetheran entry was valid/invalid.

The other blocks 502B to 502 n in the blockchain also have headers,files, and values. However, unlike the first block 502A, each of theheaders 504A to 504 n in the other blocks includes the hash value of animmediately preceding block. The hash value of the immediately precedingblock may be just the hash of the header of the previous block or may bethe hash value of the entire previous block. By including the hash valueof a preceding block in each of the remaining blocks, a trace can beperformed from the Nth block back to the genesis block (and theassociated original file) on a block-by-block basis, as indicated byarrows 512, to establish an auditable and immutable chain-of-custody.

The above embodiments may be implemented in hardware, in a computerprogram executed by a processor, in firmware, or in a combination of theabove. A computer program may be embodied on a computer readable medium,such as a storage medium. For example, a computer program may reside inrandom access memory (“RAM”), flash memory, read-only memory (“ROM”),erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM”), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (“EEPROM”), registers, hard disk, aremovable disk, a compact disk read-only memory (“CD-ROM”), or any otherform of storage medium known in the art.

An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such thatthe processor may read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anapplication specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”). In the alternative,the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components.For example, FIG. 6 illustrates an example computer system architecture600, which may represent or be integrated in any of the above-describedcomponents, etc.

FIG. 6 is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of useor functionality of embodiments of the application described herein.Regardless, the computing node 600 is capable of being implementedand/or performing any of the functionality set forth hereinabove.

In computing node 600 there is a computer system/server 602, which isoperational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 602 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 602 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 602 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 6, computer system/server 602 in cloud computing node600 is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 602 may include, but are notlimited to, one or more processors or processing units 604, a systemmemory 606, and a bus that couples various system components includingsystem memory 606 to processor 604.

The bus represents one or more of any of several types of busstructures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and notlimitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture(ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA)bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, andPeripheral Component Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 602 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 602, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. System memory606, in one embodiment, implements the flow diagrams of the otherfigures. The system memory 606 can include computer system readablemedia in the form of volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM)608 and/or cache memory 610. Computer system/server 602 may furtherinclude other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computersystem storage media. By way of example only, memory 606 can be providedfor reading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magneticmedia (not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although notshown, a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to aremovable, non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and anoptical disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable,non-volatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other opticalmedia can be provided. In such instances, each can be connected to thebus by one or more data media interfaces. As will be further depictedand described below, memory 606 may include at least one program producthaving a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configuredto carry out the functions of various embodiments of the application.

Program/utility, having a set (at least one) of program modules, may bestored in memory 606 by way of example, and not limitation, as well asan operating system, one or more application programs, other programmodules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one or moreapplication programs, other program modules, and program data or somecombination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of various embodiments of the application as describedherein.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentapplication may be embodied as a system, method, or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present application may take theform of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present application may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Computer system/server 602 may also communicate with one or moreexternal devices via an I/O adapter 612, such as a keyboard, a pointingdevice, a display, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user tointeract with computer system/server 602; and/or any devices (e.g.,network card, modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 602 tocommunicate with one or more other computing devices. Such communicationcan occur via I/O interfaces of the adapter 612. Still yet, computersystem/server 602 can communicate with one or more networks such as alocal area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or apublic network (e.g., the Internet) via a network adapter. As depicted,adapter 612 communicates with the other components of computersystem/server 602 via a bus. It should be understood that although notshown, other hardware and/or software components could be used inconjunction with computer system/server 602. Examples, include, but arenot limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units,external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archivalstorage systems, etc.

Although an exemplary embodiment of at least one of a system, method,and non-transitory computer readable medium has been illustrated in theaccompanied drawings and described in the foregoing detaileddescription, it will be understood that the application is not limitedto the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements,modifications, and substitutions as set forth and defined by thefollowing claims. For example, the capabilities of the system of thevarious figures can be performed by one or more of the modules orcomponents described herein or in a distributed architecture and mayinclude a transmitter, receiver or pair of both. For example, all orpart of the functionality performed by the individual modules, may beperformed by one or more of these modules. Further, the functionalitydescribed herein may be performed at various times and in relation tovarious events, internal or external to the modules or components. Also,the information sent between various modules can be sent between themodules via at least one of: a data network, the Internet, a voicenetwork, an Internet Protocol network, a wireless device, a wired deviceand/or via plurality of protocols. Also, the messages sent or receivedby any of the modules may be sent or received directly and/or via one ormore of the other modules.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that a “system” could be embodiedas a personal computer, a server, a console, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a cell phone, a tablet computing device, a smartphoneor any other suitable computing device, or combination of devices.Presenting the above-described functions as being performed by a“system” is not intended to limit the scope of the present applicationin any way but is intended to provide one example of many embodiments.Indeed, methods, systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may beimplemented in localized and distributed forms consistent with computingtechnology.

It should be noted that some of the system features described in thisspecification have been presented as modules, in order to moreparticularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, amodule may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom verylarge-scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelfsemiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discretecomponents. A module may also be implemented in programmable hardwaredevices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable arraylogic, programmable logic devices, graphics processing units, or thelike.

A module may also be at least partially implemented in software forexecution by various types of processors. An identified unit ofexecutable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical orlogical blocks of computer instructions that may, for instance, beorganized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, theexecutables of an identified module need not be physically locatedtogether but may comprise disparate instructions stored in differentlocations which, when joined logically together, comprise the module andachieve the stated purpose for the module. Further, modules may bestored on a computer-readable medium, which may be, for instance, a harddisk drive, flash device, random access memory (RAM), tape, or any othersuch medium used to store data.

Indeed, a module of executable code could be a single instruction, ormany instructions, and may even be distributed over several differentcode segments, among different programs, and across several memorydevices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustratedherein within modules and may be embodied in any suitable form andorganized within any suitable type of data structure. The operationaldata may be collected as a single data set or may be distributed overdifferent locations including over different storage devices, and mayexist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system ornetwork.

It will be readily understood that the components of the application, asgenerally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may bearranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.Thus, the detailed description of the embodiments is not intended tolimit the scope of the application as claimed but is merelyrepresentative of selected embodiments of the application.

One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that theabove may be practiced with steps in a different order, and/or withhardware elements in configurations that are different than those whichare disclosed. Therefore, although the application has been describedbased upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those ofskill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternativeconstructions would be apparent. While preferred embodiments of thepresent application have been described, it is to be understood that theembodiments described are illustrative only and the scope of theapplication is to be defined solely by the appended claims whenconsidered with a full range of equivalents and modifications (e.g.,protocols, hardware devices, software platforms etc.) thereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: sending, by a transport, a drop off request to a plurality of nodes at a target location; receiving, by the transport, permissions from the plurality of the nodes; responsive to the permissions, acquiring, by the transport, an agreement for the drop off request from at least one node from the plurality of the nodes; and recording the drop off request on a remote storage.
 2. The method of claim 1, comprising collecting the permissions from a subset of the plurality of the nodes based on the target location.
 3. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the permissions from a subset of the nodes of the plurality of the nodes located within a pre-set distance from the target location.
 4. The method of claim 1, comprising generating an arrival time stamp based on an estimated arrival time at the target location.
 5. The method of claim 4, comprising acquiring the agreement for the drop off request from the at least one node from the plurality of the nodes based on the arrival time stamp.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the agreement constitutes a consensus of a blockchain.
 7. The method of claim 6, comprising executing a smart contract to record the drop off request on a ledger of the blockchain.
 8. A system, comprising: a processor of a transport; a memory on which are stored machine readable instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: send a drop off request to a plurality of nodes at a target location; receive permissions from the plurality of the nodes; responsive to the permissions, acquire an agreement for the drop off request from at least one node from the plurality of the nodes; and record the drop off request on a remote storage.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to collect the permissions from a subset of the plurality of the nodes based on the target location.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to receive the permissions from a subset of the nodes of the plurality of the nodes located within a pre-set distance from the target location.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to generate an arrival time stamp based on an estimated arrival time at the target location.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to acquire the agreement for the drop off request from the at least one node from the plurality of the nodes based on the arrival time stamp.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the agreement constitutes a consensus of a blockchain.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to execute a smart contract to record the drop off request on a ledger of the blockchain.
 15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause the processor to perform: sending a drop off request to a plurality of nodes at a target location; receiving permissions from the plurality of the nodes; responsive to the permissions, acquiring an agreement for the drop off request from at least one node from the plurality of the nodes; and recording the drop off request on a remote storage.
 16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause the processor to collect the permissions from a subset of the plurality of the nodes based on the target location.
 17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause the processor to receive the permissions from a subset of the nodes of the plurality of the nodes located within a pre-set distance from the target location.
 18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause the processor to generate an arrival time stamp based on an estimated arrival time at the target location.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause the processor to acquire the agreement for the drop off request from the at least one node from the plurality of the nodes based on the arrival time stamp.
 20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause the processor to execute a smart contract to record the drop off request on a ledger of a blockchain. 